Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-01-12
WONDERFUL VOLCANOES.
Excitement on an indigo Planta.
ton in Mexico.
High Mountains That Have Literally Risen
Out of the Ground-The Eruption OF II
Faro del Salvador-craters which
Have Done Much Mischief
washington Cor. N. Y. sun.l

washington Cor. n. \. SUM-
al see,n said one of the savants AZ the
Smithsonian Institution, ..that there is u
great deal of surprise expressed over the
report that during the recent earthquake
shocks in the Samoan Islands a mountain
rose suddenly from the surface of the
earth, and has since been an active volcano.
The story goes that this mountain rose up
in single night to height Of three hun
dred feet, and has since been growing
larger by the lava and rocks that come out
from its crater and are accommodating on its
sides. While this is n remarkable phenom-
enon, it is not the first time such thing
has happened There are two active vol
canoes on this hemisphere that have risen
out of the ground within the memory OF
man. One of them is Jorullo, volcano in
the State Of Nichoacan, l6o miles southwest
OF the city OF Mexico, and near the town OF
Acapulco.
From tho discovery of America down
TO the middle of the eighteenth century, no
volcanic disturbances or earthquakes oc-
CURED IN this region. The present site Of
the volcano Jorullo was the center of a
large cultivated area filed with coffee plan
tations and indigo fields. Ia June, 1859, how
ever, strange sounds were heard by the
people to come from underneath the earth
These grew louder and more tenpestuous
and were followed by terrific explosions.
Then came long succession of earthquakes,
extending over period of three or four
weeks, which caused the inhabitants to fiee
from the country in terror. During these
commissions large crack orened
in the earth near the center of the
indigo plantation, aud flames, smoke
and lava were seen to issue from it
In large volumes. The natives who fled
at the time of the earthquakes began TO
return to the place a few months later, and
found that cone had formed around the
crack in the ground, continually increasing
in size by reason of the discharges OF earth
and showers of basaltic lava The
earth around was 80 hot that they
could not stand upon il with their
bare feet, and having made gen
eral survey of the surroundings, they
left the place and returned to where they
had taken refuge when the earthquake
began.
This newiy-formed crater continued ITS
eruptions for seventy-five or eighty years
until lo2S, when it ceased and has since
discharged nothing but smoke and occa-
sionally few showers of ashes. The
mountain, however, has grown to the height
Of sixteen hundred feet from the plain
around it, and fortyfour hundred feet from
the level Of the sea.
But even more remarkable case has
occurred in the little republic of San Sal
vador, where is the most wonderful volca-
no on this hemisphere. 1t stands about nine
miles from the sea, is III plain sight of ev-
cry passing vessel on the Pacific, and its
constant and regular eruptions have caused
II be called Ell Faro del Safva1or'-the
lighthouse of Salvador.
Its erUptions occur with great regulari-
ty at intervals of exactly seven minutes,
with noise like the discharge Of artillery,
accompanied with dense smoke largo VOL
umes Of Fame, and showers OF lava, which
fall upon every side and which are contln-
ualiy adding TO the height CT the mountain,
now nearly four thousand feet above the
surrounding country. This volcano is one
OF the most remarkable in the world, not
only because of its regular eruptions, which
have continued now for more than one hun
Gred years, but because Of its singular ori-
gin. The name, as it appears on the map,
is lzalco, and the mountain is in the shape
OF truncated cone. 1t is difficult TO con-
ceivc OF u grander natural object. It's base
Is shrouded III the den5est green from the
grass that grows in the fields below it.
while above is belt of forest, and above
that large accumulation of lava and
scor.Se, wherc the various colors arc melted
impcrccptibly into each other, and in the sun
shine or by the light of the flames constantly
being emitted from the crater they appear
TO have the grandest hues. First comes
the rich umber, then the silver tint of the
ashes that fall in showers from the crater.
and around the crest the living gold of the
hot lava, which is elected with the greatest
regularity, and flows down the sides of the
mountain in great torrents. One discharge
no sooner cools than another is upon it.
Then above all are the heavy flames and n
plume OF smoke that rises up eternally to
heaven.
This volcano arose from. the plain in
lUO, III what was then cattle ranch or
hacienda. The owner was absent at the
time i'll Europe, and upon his return few
months later was astonished to discover
that he had suddenly traded fine ranch
Tor an active volcano. In December. 1859.
the ranchmen upon this estate were alarmed
by subterranean explosions and earthquake
shocks, which continued from day to day,
growing more severe, until the houses upon
the ranch were shaken down and their oc-
cupants fled from the plains. The herds
men, however, remained about watching
developments, and discovered about the
middle OF January that the earth had
opened half mile from where the build
ings stood. and that smoke and frc were
coming out OF the cavity. A few days after
they observed great increase in the vol
urle OF smoke and flame, and discovered
that vast quantities of cinders and stones
were being thrown out from the younr
crater. Finally, on the 23d Of February.
l'sU, there was ono grand upheaval, when
the whole OF the republic was shaken from
one end ID the other, and the surface Of the
earth rose and fell like the pillows Of the
were destroyed, and the country was in
ruins. AT the end it was found that a young
mountain had been bora, and they called it
Izalco. 1t was then about one thousand
feet high, but has since been growing with
the constant eruptions of lava at tie rate cf
one hundred feet a year
The only volcano on the Pacific coast
that will compare with Izalco is Mono
tombo, Nicaragua, or old Toinbo,' as it is
called. In 1873 there was an eruption from
lts crater which was the most sew re ON
record. 1t commenced on January 30 that
year, and continued four days without ces-
sation, during which time the smoke and
ashes were so dense in the air that the sun
could not be seen for radius of one hun
dred miles around. The ashes fell on the
island Of Jamaica, two thousand miles
away; in Bogoto, in the United states Of
Colombia, fifteen hundred miles away in a
straight line and ten thousand feet above
the level Of the sea, higher even than the
volcano itself. The explosions were heard
eight hundred miles distant, while there
was continuous shower OF ashes all over
Central America, from Mexico 10 Panama"
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YOU never have much to say TO the la
dies, Mr. Smilax-how is that" We'll,
never have time-they have so much to say
TO me."-Qaiz